No. 4 Blue Devils pull away, knock off Army
DURHAM, N.C. — Duke got something from Army that it didn’t against Kentucky: A test.
The fourth-ranked Blue Devils pulled away to beat the Black Knights 94-72 on Sunday behind 27 points and 16 rebounds from Zion Williamson.
Playing five days after routing the second-ranked Wildcats in the Champions Classic , they shot 49 percent but couldn’t shake the Black Knights until the final 10 minutes, finally pulling away with an 11-0 run keyed by 3-pointers from fellow freshmen RJ Barrett and Cameron Reddish.
“It’s one thing for somebody to tell you that everybody’s going to bring their best against you, that all their shots are going to feel like they’re going in,” Williamson said. “But I think until you truly experience it, I think you just have to go through it to fully understand.”
No. 5 VIRGINIA 76, GEORGE WASHINGTON 57: Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome scored 20 points each and Virginia rolled over George Washington. Guy scored 17 in the first half, matching the Colonials’ total, as Virginia (2-0) opened a 42-17 lead at the break. He and Jerome had outscored the Colonials 27-26 when they both got an extended break midway through the second half with Virginia comfortably ahead. The Colonials (0-3) attempted to make a run in the second half, making six of their first nine shots, including four 3-pointers. They got within 42-25 by scoring the first eight points after halftime, but Virginia scored the next six and the visitors never threatened again. D.J. Williams had 17 points and Terry Nolan Jr. 13 for George Washington.
No. 10 MICHIGAN STATE 106, FLORIDA GULF COAST 82: Nick Ward had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Joshua Langford added 18 points to lead Michigan State. The Spartans (1-1) were barely challenged in their home opener and rebounded comfortably from a seasonopening loss to Kansas. Michigan State led 59-35 at halftime on the strength of a dominating performance on the boards. Cassius Winston contributed 14 points and eight assists for the Spartans, and Matt McQuaid scored 12 points. Troy Baxter and Christian Carlyle led FGCU (1-2) with 20 points apiece.
NO. 17 FLORIDA STATE
80, TULANE 69: Terance Mann had 21 points and 10 rebounds, PJ Savoy added 14 points and No. 17 Florida State wore down a feisty and seemingly improved Tulane squad. Tulane was buoyed by the debut of freshman Kevin Zhang, who scored 24 points, including 10 points during a mid-second-half surge that briefly pulled the Green Wave as close as 62-56. But Christ Koumadje’s dunk sparked a 10-0 Seminoles run that included layups by Mann and Trent Forest, and FSU maintained a doubledigit lead for most of the final seven minutes. Forrest finished with 13 points and Mfiondu Kabengele scored 12 for Florida State (2-0). Samir Sehic scored 19 points for Tulane (0-1), but took only four shots in the second half and missed all of them.
No. 18 MISSISSIPPI ST 77, HARTFORD 59: Quinndary Weatherspoon scored a season-high 22 points for Mississippi State. Tyson Carter added 14 points for Mississippi State (2-0), and Aric Holman had 12 points and eight rebounds. Nick Weatherspoon had 10 points. Jason Dunne led Hartford (0-3) with 17 points, and John Carroll added 16.
No. 20 TCU 79, ORAL ROBERTS 62: Alex Robinson scored 23 points, Desmond Bane added 22 and TCU never trailed after struggling in the opener. The Horned Frogs (2-0) were sluggish opening the season as a ranked team for the first time in 20 years, trailing by as many as 11 points before rallying to beat Cal State Bakersfield. TCU took the opposite approach against the Golden Eagles (1-2), running out to a 23-6 lead in the first seven minutes before Oral Roberts got within seven points in the second half.